‘I… I was Alec…’

Alec, in a daze, descended from Mount Kalanysh without knowing how he was walking.

He couldn’t easily recover from the shock of discovering his true identity.

He had seen countless dramas full of secret birth stories, but experiencing it firsthand was a completely different level of shock.

The memories of Alec hadn’t returned to him.

He simply realized he was Alec after seeing his own memory potion.

He couldn’t deny it any longer.

What happened after Alec sacrificed his memories to the system was the life Alec had been living.

‘I… I am Alec…’

But why was there this strange sense of excitement and relief?

The Alec that Louise had longed for was none other than him.

Louise had always been his woman, and he was her only man.

The Alec he envied and wanted to become was none other than him.

There was no need to be jealous of anyone, and no reason for him to doubt receiving her love.

This realization only made his affection for her grow stronger.

Alec wiped his mouth with his hand, but he couldn’t hide the smile creeping up.

‘I am Alec…’

The one and only Alec that Louise acknowledged as her life partner.

The Alec who, despite being slow with words and unable to fully satisfy her, was trusted and depended on by Louise.

At that moment, the system’s notification sound chimed.

[Affection has increased by 2 billion!]

“…?”

Affection?

Startled by the sudden massive increase in affection, Alec snapped back to reality.

Now that he thought about it, where was Louise?

“Olivia.”

Alec quickly searched for his familiar.

Olivia had likely stayed with Louise the whole time.

Soon, through Olivia’s eyes, Alec saw Louise.

She was lying unconscious in a luxurious room.

But that place was…

‘The Imperial Palace?’

His bl＊＊d ran cold in an instant.

His dark eyes darkened further.

Aksen had finally kidnapped Louise.

“Is Louise safe?”

In response to his question, Olivia answered.

‘She is safely asleep.’

“…I see.”

Though slightly relieved by the answer, his gaze still burned with rage.

Louise was likely meeting his past self right now.

The self from before he lost his memories to the system.

Back then, his thoughts about Louise were far stronger and deeper than his desire to survive, so much so that even in life-threatening moments, he couldn’t wield his magic.

It was only after erasing Louise from his memories that he could freely use his magic.

For some reason, after all his memories vanished, he no longer stammered when he spoke.

Alec thought that maybe he had wanted to discard all his past memories to become stronger.

He knew this better than anyone.

But it seemed that the Alec from the erased memories still lingered within the system.

The original novel of this world, which he received as a reward, was a simulation of the future created by Alec’ magic.

In the future that followed his poisoning, Louise took her own life after his death.

That fact pained him, yet he couldn’t help but feel her true love for him.

Ding. The system chimed again.

[Affection has increased by 3 billion!]

[Affection has increased by 3 billion!]

“…?”

Why is it increasing by so much again?

Did Louise’s love explode after meeting his past self?

The system windows kept popping up so rapidly that his vision started to blur.

[Affection has increased by 3 billion!]

[Affection has increased by 4 billion!]

[Affection has increased by 5 billion!]

[Congratulations!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

“…!”

The system windows continued to pop up endlessly.

Alec stared blankly at the sight of his level rising at an alarming rate.

At some point, both his affection and level were increasing simultaneously.

[Affection has increased by 3 billion!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Affection has increased by 3 billion!]

[Affection has increased by 4 billion!]

“…!”

The level-ups were relentless.

Thanks to the enormous amount of experience points he had accumulated by k＊lling monsters in the gate, all he needed was affection.

Every time his level was about to fully rise, the affection would increase again, causing the level to follow along as if chasing after it.

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

As Alec watched the continuous level-ups, a shocking realization suddenly hit him.

Could this affection…?

‘Is it mine, not Louise’s?’

“……”

His mind went blank, as if time had momentarily stopped.

Alec began to recall from the beginning when and how the affection had risen.

When Louise first enjoyed the tomato sauce pasta he made for her.

When she tried to sell her hair for only 300 gold, and he was irrationally upset.

When he first lifted her by the waist and seated her on the horse.

When he took out the Grave Mercenaries in one blow during an ambush while with Louise.

The time at the ball when, for the first time, they held each other’s waist and hands while dancing.

And the shocking first kiss when he felt her lips.

When he killed Cassdain and thoroughly cleaned Wiltsbrook Castle, where Louise was supposed to stay.

And yet another passionate kiss with her.

The night they shared their warmth without any gaps in the freezing cold north, colder than Siberia.

The endless nights at Wiltsbrook Castle and the long, long hours in the carriage…

The moment he presented her with a bouquet of flowers that all symbolized love and a magic-infused gem, and her smile.

And the moment when Louise confessed her love to him.

“I think I’m in love with you… the way you are now.”

Not once had the affection ever decreased.

It surged and overflowed from within him.

He wanted to protect her from those who tormented them, to make her happy with his own hands, and to feel her lips, waist, and fingertips.

And he wanted to be loved by her.

Without realizing it, while he was still unaware that he was Alec, he had already accomplished everything he wanted to do for her.

The guilt of her being another man’s woman, the pangs of conscience, the despair of not being able to be with her—all of it had disappeared.

Now that there was nothing holding him back, his affection soared endlessly.

Ding!

[Affection has increased by 3 billion!]

[Level up!]

[Affection has increased by 3 billion!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

Alec turned around in an instant and vanished like the wind.

He had to hurry to the imperial palace where Louise was.

Just in time, he saw the emperor entering the room where she was.

A tyrant who released those horrible monsters, indifferent to the deaths of the innocent people of the north.

A shameless man who intended to take someone else’s wife and make her his empress.

And his mortal enemy, the one who had trampled over his life.

Now, finally, finally…

After seven years of leveling up, following his death in the previous life, the moment of vengeance had come.

This was the final battle he had longed for with his entire soul, even before he died.

As Alec felt the rage boiling hot within him, he blasted away the top of the emperor’s palace.

‘Skill: Advanced Husband’s Tickle.’

Boom!

The emperor’s palace, once so high and intimidating in his past life, now seemed pitifully low to him.

TL NOTE: More advanced chapter of this story is already up to the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories